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Nick Roper shooting vs. Carthage
ASHTIN ELDER PHOTO
77
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 10-2,2-1 CCIW
78
Winner Mary Hardin-Baylor UMHB 11-3,0-0 ASC
Ill. Wesleyan IWU
10-2,2-1 CCIW
77
Final
78
Mary Hardin-Baylor UMHB
11-3,0-0 ASC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Ill. Wesleyan IWU 36 41 77
Mary Hardin-Baylor UMHB 38 40 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Hoops Edged at UMHB

Titans led with two minutes to play

BELTON, Texas - A second-half comeback came up short for the Illinois Wesleyan University men's basketball team Monday evening, Dec. 30, as the ninth-ranked Titans fell at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, 78-77, at Mayborn Campus Center. The loss dropped IWU's record to 10-2 overall and snapped a four-game win streak, while UMHB's record jumped to 11-3.

Five Titans scored in double figures in the contest, with senior Nick Roper (St. Louis, Mo.-MICDS) leading the way with 16 points. Seniors Harrison Wilmsen (St. Louis, Mo.-Priory) and Marko Anderson (Park Ridge, Ill.-Maine South) added 14 and 12 points, respectively, while senior Hakim Williams (Round Lake, Ill.-Round Lake) and sophomore Mason Funk (Normal, Ill.-University High) tallied 11 points apiece. Williams finished out a double-double with a team-high 11 rebounds and also paced the team with five assists. Anderson completed a double-double with 10 boards, with Roper tallying eight as IWU finished with a 43-33 lead.

Illinois Wesleyan converted 25-of-54 shot attempts (46.3 percent) from the field, but was limited to 7-of-28 from three-point distance (25.0 percent). The Titans finished just 20-of-30 at the free throw line. UMHB hit 43.3 percent of its shot attempts, going 29-for-67, and hit 7-of-20 three-point tries. The Cru did not fare any better at the charity stripe, going just 13-for-20.

Mary Hardin-Baylor won the turnover margin, 19-11, paving the way for a 19-9 lead in points off miscues. 

A back-and-forth affair saw the Cru break away with a 12-2 run over four minutes as the home team grabbed a 27-20 lead. Free throws temporarily slowed UMHB, but a free throw and three-pointer saw IWU stare down an 11-point deficit, 34-23, with 4:23 to play in the half.

Out of a Ron Rose timeout with about four minutes remaining, the Green and White rattled off seven straight points. Roper hit a free throw and Wilmsen added a putback before Roper's three-point play made it a five-point game less than a minute later. 

After two more free throws, sophomore Jackson Niego (Western Springs, Ill.-Lyons Township) picked the pocket of the Cru and fed ahead to Roper for a left-handed slam. Niego came up with another assist moments later as quick ball movement saw senior Trey Bazzell (Fairbury, Ill.-Prairie Central) wide open for a three-ball from the wing on a reversal to level the score at 36 with 22 seconds left.

UMHB's Josh Goings hit a pullup jumper with four ticks left to give the Cru a slim, 38-36, lead into halftime.

Illinois Wesleyan controlled the early part of the second half, going up by as many as seven, but the game was tied, 67-67, at the under-four media timeout. IWU's big-men teamed up for some high-low action as Anderson fed Wilmsen in the low post for a layup to tie the game.

A three-pointer put UMHB on top, 70-67, but Roper hit a layup and Anderson and Williams knocked a free throw each to push IWU ahead, 72-70, with 2:15 to play. The Cru came back with a three-pointer and then a second-chance bucket to reclaim the lead with under a minute left, but the Titans answered to once again tie the score at 75.

Mary-Hardin Baylor's Zachary Engels answered a bucket by Anderson with a jumper as Illinois Wesleyan held possession with time ticking down. Williams muscled his way through the paint for a tough bucket off the glass, drawing a foul in the process, but his free throw caught the back iron.

The Titans were whistled for a foul with the Cru driving towards the basket on the ensuing possession. Engels hit the front end of the pair to lift UMHB to a 78-77 but missed the second attempt, and despite Funk pulling in the rebound, a desperation effort at the buzzer was off the mark as IWU fell short, 78-77.

The Titans will head into a string of 13-straight College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin games beginning Saturday, Jan. 4, with a trip to King Arena for a bout with Wheaton College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. and will serve as the second leg of a doubleheader with the IWU women's basketball team.

 
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